British COVID strain spotted in seven more countries

The more infectious strain of coronavirus, VOC 202012/01, originally detected in the UK, was spotted in seven more countries over the past week, and their total number reached 118, Report informs with reference to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The outreach of the 501Y.V2 strain found in South Africa has expanded to 64 countries, and the P .1, which was originally found in Brazil and Japan, is now circulating in 38 countries.

WHO notes that over the past week, "the number of countries reporting coronavirus varieties has continued to rise."

As for the variety of coronavirus 501Y.V2, since March 8, it has recently been detected in six more countries, bringing their number to 64. This strain, according to the information available to WHO, is one and a half times more infectious than the original SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, the P.1 strain circulates in 38 countries, as it was spotted in six more countries over the past week. Its infectiousness is also considered to be higher.

According to the WHO, the VOC-202012/01 variant of the coronavirus appeared in the UK in September 2020. In South Africa, strain 501Y.V2 has been present since early August, and strain P.1 has been circulating in Brazil and Japan since December.